Five Plumbing Mistakes To Avoid

Five Plumbing Mistakes To Avoid

Using Too Much Drain Cleaner

Drain cleaner is useful and relatively safe, but it can corrode critical draining materials and exacerbate clogs.

Pouring Grease Down the Drain

This seems so obvious, but it one of the most common mistakes people make. Many people don’t realize that the grease will harden and cause clogging – even if you pour gallons of scalding hot water after it. Rather wait until it has hardened (congealed) and dispose of it in the rubbish bin.

Flushing Anything Other than Toilet Paper Down the Toilet

Another seemingly obvious one, but this leads to millions of plumbers being called out across the globe every day. People fail to realize that these items have to flow smoothly through a 3 inch pipe. This leads to the pipe that is the outflow for your entire home. When you send strange items down that pipe, you could block up your entire home!

Leaving an outside hose connected in winter

Leaving a garden hose connected to an outside faucet during Chicago’s icy winters can cause your water lines to freeze and burst. This can cause thousands of dollars in water damage before you even notice it. It’s a good idea to disconnect hosepipes long before the freeze sets in and if they have a shutoff, turn off the water supply to outside taps.

Using professional tools if you’re not a pro

If you’re a DIY kinda person, you could go out and buy some professional plumbing tools such as snakes and augers. Remember, these are meant to be used by trained experts. Using these tools incorrectly can lead to costly mistakes.